Denning is an isolated

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

Ulster County Ulster County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. It is situated along the Hudson River. As of the 2020 census, the population was 181,851. The county seat is Kingston. The county is named after the Irish province of Ulster. History ...

, New York, United States. The population was 551 at the 2010 census. The town is named after an early landowner, William Denning. Denning is located in the western part of the county, deep inside the Catskill Mountains. The location of the town in the Catskill State Park accounts in part for its low population.

History

Denning was established in 1849 from part of the Town of Shandaken. The region had been part of the Hardenburgh Patent granted to Johannes Hardenburgh in 1708. William H. Denning, for whom the settlement was named, bought a tract of land at a tax sale. The Red Hill Fire Observation Station was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 2001.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...

, the town has a total area of , of which is land and (0.07%) is water. The town is in the Catskill Mountains and borders Sullivan County, New York. It is rugged and heavily wooded. Most settlement is concentrated around the hamlet of Sundown on

Rondout Creek Rondout Creek is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed October 3, 2011 tributary of the Hudson River in Ulster and Sullivan counties, New York, United States. It rises on Rock ...

, along the two branches of the

Neversink River The Neversink River (also called Neversink Creek in its upper course) is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 tributary of the Delaware River in southeastern ...

or in the plateau between the two valleys northeast of Red Hill, at elevations 2,500 feet (762 m) above sea level and higher. Since the town is entirely within the

Catskill Park The Catskill Park is in the Catskill Mountains in New York in the United States. It consists of of land inside a Blue Line in four counties: Delaware, Greene, Sullivan, and Ulster. As of 2005, or 41 percent of the land within, is owned by ...

, large tracts of land are owned by the state Department of Environmental Conservation as part of New York's

Forest Preserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or o ...

. These forests are either in the Sundown Wild Forest in the eastern parts of the town or the Slide Mountain Wilderness Area in its central regions. Within the former are the three southernmost

Catskill High Peaks The Catskill High Peaks are all of the mountains in New York (state), New York's Catskill Mountains above in elevation whose summits are separated either by ''or'' a vertical drop of at least between it and the next nearest separate summit. B ...

: Peekamoose,

Table Table may refer to: * Table (furniture), a piece of furniture with a flat surface and one or more legs * Table (landform), a flat area of land * Table (information), a data arrangement with rows and columns * Table (database), how the table data ...

and Lone mountains. At 3,847 feet (1,173 m), Table's summit is the highest point in the town. Slide Mountain, the highest peak in the

Catskills The Catskill Mountains, also known as the Catskills, are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Mountains, located in southeastern New York. As a cultural and geographic region, the Catskills are generally defined as those areas c ...

, is north of Denning. A lower mountain, Red Hill, has a

fire tower A fire lookout tower, fire tower or lookout tower, provides housing and protection for a person known as a " fire lookout" whose duty it is to search for wildfires in the wilderness. It is a small building, usually on the summit of a mountain or ...

on its summit popular with hikers. It is the only property in Denning listed on the

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2000, there were 516 people, 215 households, and 124 families residing in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

was 4.9 people per square mile (1.9/km²). There were 517 housing units at an average density of 4.9 per square mile (1.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 95.93%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 0.97% Native American, 0.19%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, and 2.91% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 1.55% of the population. There were 215 households, out of which 18.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.8% were married couples living together, 6.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.9% were non-families. 37.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.98. In the town, the population was spread out, with 17.4% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 28.7% from 45 to 64, and 17.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.8 males. The median income for a household in the town was $40,893, and the median income for a family was $50,729. Males had a median income of $37,750 versus $25,179 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the town was $23,846. About 5.7% of families and 12.0% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 9.3% of those under age 18 and 8.8% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in Denning

* Branch: A

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

on CR 47, northeast of Frost Valley. * Bull Run: A hamlet north of Sundown on NY 42. Bull Run- name was changed to "Bullrun"- one word, then Re-named "Peekamose" in 1904 when Paul A. Sheeley was Postmaster * Denning: The hamlet of Denning is by the East Branch of the Neversink River. * Frost Valley: A hamlet on CR 47. * Greenville: A hamlet near the eastern town line on CR 46. * Ladleton: A hamlet by the East Branch of the Neversink River, southwest of Denning village. * Peekamose: A hamlet near the eastern town line on NY 42. Peekamose post office was formerly called "Bull Run" then "Bullrun" before changed to Peekamose in 1904. * Sundown: A hamlet near the southern town line on CR 46.

References

External links